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Michigan BioTrust for Health

Welcome to the Michigan BioTrust for Health (BioTrust) website! The BioTrust is a program to oversee our state's stored blood spots and their use in health research. Five to six blood spots are collected from almost every newborn shortly after birth for newborn screening In 2017, the retention policy was updated. After newborn screening is performed at the state laboratory, any unused blood spots (including parts of blood spots) are stored for up to 100 years unless a parent or grown child (18 years or older) opts-out. De-identified stored blood spots can be used for research. The choice to allow research use is yours to make. Please explore this website to learn more!

The Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act.The Newborn Screening Lives Reauthorization Act, signed into law by President Obama on December 18, 2014, helps sustain and improve newborn screening programs. The law also stipulates federally funded research using blood spots collected after March 15, 2015, must be considered human subjects research and waivers or alterations of informed consent cannot be applied. The Michigan BioTrust for Health, our state's newborn screening biobanking initiative, has always emphasized the importance of informed decision-making. A consent process for parents delivering at home or in hospitals has been in place since May 1, 2010, and an opt-out process is available for those whose spots were collected prior to this date. The BioTrust will continue to evolve to meet new legislative requirements and regulations with guidance from the Community Values Advisory Board. Please contact MDHHS (1-866-673-9939 or biotrust@michigan.gov) with any questions or concerns.